Food-handling machine



June 24, 1930. JOHNSTON I 1,766,999

FOOD HANDLING MACHINE Filed Feb. 11, 192'? Z'Sheet'S-Sheet 1 Fig-1 11v VEN TOR A TTORNE Y8 June 24, 1930. H. L. JOHNSTCN 1,766,999

FOOD HANDLING MACHINE File'd Feb. 11,1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR BY f - ATTORNEYS Patent ed June 24,1930

M 7 ST -S TE-N1 omcs nnaanar 1.. :romrs'ron, or raoig' Application fled leeln'uary 11, 1927. Serial I'm 187,521

ve stable-handling machines and more particu arly tomachines adapted-to remove the peels of vegee tables such as otatoes and the like.

. One Object o theinvention is to provides vegetableeling machine having means for causin t e movement of the" individual j vegeta 1e within a mass of vegetables to bring them into the'desired peelin relationshi with the peeling instrumenta 'ties.

nother object of the invention is to provide a machine of this character having a rotatable abrasive;p eeling disc and means for causing movement of the mass of ve etables during operation to bring the in s vidual potatoes, or other ve tables, into peelingI contact with the abrasive disc. I, A rther object of the invention is to provide a deflecting disc associated with the operatin shaft for the abrasive disc to deflect an fiiquid passing down along the shaft. gwiay rbm the shaft-operating mechanism e ow it.

This invention relates to vention will e more fully set forth in the accompanying descri tion, in the claims and inthe drawings, in .w 'ch, a Fig. 1 is a front elevation of'the vegetablepeeling machine; I Fig. 2 is-a side e :ho per partly in section; and

1g; 3 is a. side elevation of the table. Referrin more articularly to the drawings by .re erence c aracters in which corres ending numerals designate like parts in t e var ous fi es, the machine comprises an upright ddle 10 on which is mounted the hopper or housin 11 into which} the ve tables may be pour through the upwardly aring opening 12. An electric motor 13 is suitably mounted on the. destal and is sup plied with oweL-throu the electrical conduit 14. T e horizonta ly extending motor shaft 15 extends into a casing 16 and is there provided with a worm 17 en agin the worm wheelj18 which is-moun on t, e vertical shaft 19 withinthe housin A ballbearin 20 mounts the lower end 0 the shaft 19 an the upper end of this shaft is rotatably mounted in a bearing bushing-25 which 18' levat ion of the vegetable Further ob'ccts and advantages of the in-- OHIO- onio, assrerron 'ro m nom'r mamas-rams consumer 'raor, omo,

. noon-HANDLING monnn:

a ooaroaa'rzon or g 26 which forms the lower horlzontal wall 0 the hopper or casing 11. The side wall 27 of this. casing 11 of cylindrical sha e, is preferably forme of sheet metal, an is supported at the lower end thereof to the bottomcasting 26.

- At its upper end the shaft 19 is tapered as" shown at 28 to' receive a eorres ondingly ta eredsocket 29'formed in the e ndmg ha 30 carried, by

This hub has aligned slots in the. lower face adapted to receive a drive pin- 32 carried b the shaft 19. This table is provided with a plurality of a itating projections, bumps on r waves 33 whic are raised above the level of fixed in the castin the horizontal. portions 34 of the table and u are preferab height from 'ent1re u p l of progressional increasin the center of the disc out. Thg

er surface of the table is roughened, as dy covering it. with abrasive material embedde in the surface and for this urpose small chips or pieces of carborun um maly be used, attached in an suitable and we 1 known manner. These ips' act on the vegetables-as they are brought into. contact with the abrasive discto remove the peel. During peeling operations. wateris introduced through the su ply pipe 35, to. flow downwardly through t e mass 0 vegetables and flush out or wash away the portions of peel as. removed. This water and themtrained peeling, flow into the bottom-of the hopper or holusin 11 and thence outwardly. The table is' rovidedwith downwardly extendin padd es 37' which circulate-the water .in the ower part of the casing to assistin the free outflow of the water and peelings tlfrougmthe outlet pipe 36, to any desired p ace.

r The peelings and flushin water, are

the rotatable table 31.;00

due to rotation of the table. This action tends to move the vegetables -outwardly toward the wall of the container.

In order to intimately mix and circulate the vegetables together throughout the-mass as the are rotated and so moved the side wall 2 of the housing 11,is provided with an upwardly spiraling and slo in guide or rib bent into substantially l siape so as to extend inwardly from the surface of the housing. As clearly shown in Fi 2 the size of the guide 40 increases as it xtends upwardly froma point adjacentthe table so the smaller portion of. the ide may be efiective to create a lifting e ect on the pe-- ripheral portion of the mass of vegetables without crushing them as they are urged against the guide by centrifugal force and by the projections of the table. It will also be apparent that the guide has no sharp or cuttin edge'which would chip or cut the vegeta 1e. Preferably two of these ribs 40 are provided substantially opposite each other so thatthe potatoes or vegetables as they are rotated by the table will be moved 'upwardly on the guides 40 to some extent and will then return down falling towards the center of the housing so that the entire mass of vegetables will be mixed together from the center'toward the outside of the mass and then towards the center of the mass again as the entire mass of vegetables is rotated by the table. This will insure'that all of the vegetables will be acted u on by the abrasive on the upper surface 0 the table so that all of the peeling of the vegetables may be removed, and the time of peeling contact of any particular portion of each vegetable so limited'that unduly large portions-of the vegetable itself will not be removed. 7

Intermediate the ribs 40 the hopper 11 is provided with a discharge opening 41, with which is associated a discharge spout 42. The opening extends downwardly and terminates substantiall opposite the upper abrasive surface of t e rotatable table. ally attached to the hopper above the opening 41 is a support arm 43 to which is attached, by means'of a central bolt, a closure or door 44; the arrangement being such that the door may be swun upon the supporting arm to open or close t e discharge opening. The support arm has an operating handle 45 carrying a latch 46 which may be moved behind a retainer lug 47, whenthe door is closed, to hold the. door against opening. The construction is such that the door when closed, sets tightly against the hopper to prevent undesirable leakage. When it is desired to discharge. the peeled vegetables the door 1s swung to open position and the vegetables will. flow out through the spout.

In order torevent any water which may seep through t e bearing 25 fromfinding its Pivotway into the lower part of the housing'16 the shaft 19- is provided with a disc 50 which is attached b 7 means of a pin 51 to the upper portion of t e shaft below the bearing 25. Any liquid finding its way through the earing 25 will be deflected by this deflecting disc 50 as this disc rotates with theshaft 19. A-

water-collecting groove 52 extends aroundthe periphery of the disc in the upper portion of the housing 16 and passage 53 at one side of the housing forms an outlet passage for the water which is deflected into the groove 52. A suppl 'of oil may therefore be maintained in the ousing 16 to lubricate the shaft-operatingmechanism in this housing without the oil being diluted by water froin the housing 11.

Whilmthe'form of apparatus herein described constitutes a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise form of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined-in the appended claims. 1 7

What is claimed is: 1. In a machineof the classdescribed a vegetable container, a metal side wall or said container, a rotatable table on whlch the vegetables rest, power means for rotating said table, said table having a top surface for portion, said bottom portion having a top surface having an agitating upward projection adapted to remove the peels of the vegetables, means for rotating said bottom portion, and an upwardly inclined smooth non-abrasive fixed guide along the said side portion for mixing the vegetables together as they are rotated and moved up and down within the container bysaid bottom portion.

3. In a vegetable-peeling machine, a vegetable container comprising side portions and a bottom portion, said bottom portion havmg a substantially horizontal top abrasive surface adapted' to removethe peels of ve etables and having an upward pro'ection or effecting an upward movement 0 the vegetables above it, means for rotatin said bottom dportion, and an upwardly spiraling inwar ly projecting nonabrasive -gu1de sur: face carried by the said side portion for mu!- ing the vegetables together as they are rotated by said bottom portion.'

4. In a vegetable-peeling machine, a ve etable container embodying a rotatable ta lo having an abrasive surface thereon, and a. generally cylindrical casing around said table, means for circulatin the vegetables within the casing, water in et means above said table for flowing water onto saidci'rculating vegetables, water outlet means below said rotatable table, a downwardly extending shaft for operating said rotatable table, a bearing for said shaft in the lower wall of said casing, a disc carried by Said shaft below said bearing and liquid-receiving means around the edge of said disc, for the purpose described.

5. In a vegetablahandling machine, a vegetable container comprising a housing and a rotatable table therein on which the vegetables rest, a shaft for rotating said table, a

bearing for said shaft in said housing, shaft operating mechanism below said bearing, a casing for said shaft-operatin mechanism, and a liquid-deflecting disc xed to said shaft below said bearing to prevent liquid passing through said bearing from falling.

on said shaft-operating mechanism.

6. In a vegetable-peeling machine of the class described, a metal casing, a closable door in said casing through which vegeta bles may be removed, a base member on which said casing is fixed, asmooth upwardly spiraling inwardly projecting guide surface carried by said casing for mixlng the vegetables together, a. rotatable table spaced above said base member and provided with an abrasive top surface, said table having an upward projection at one side of the surface thereof providing a peripheral portion I extending above the center of the table, a

downwardly extending driven shaft attached to the lower side-of thetable and extending through the said base member, a gear cham- .ber' below said base member, gear means located below said base member in said gear chamber for rotating said driven shaft,

. power means for driving said gear means,

water inlet "means above said table for flowing water onto the vegetables, water outlet means provided in said base member below the table, and paddle means projecting downwardly from said table for moving the peelings of the'vegetables' into the said outlet means.

extending-through the said base member, a

disc carried by said shaft, below said base member, liquid receiving means around'the edge of said disc, power operated means located below said base member for rotating said drive shaft, water inlet means provided in said casing above said .table for flowing water onto the vegetables, water outlet means provided in said base member below the ta- 1e, and paddle means projecting downwardly from said table for moving the peelings of the vegetables into the said outlet means.

8. In a vegetable peeling machine, a vegetable container having nonabraslve s1de- Walls, a rotary peeling member'mounted therein, said member having an agitating projection extending upwardly beyond ad- .jacent peripheral portions thereof, the side walls of the container being formed so asto have a smooth nonabrasive retarding means acting only on the peripheral portions of the mass of vegetables to exert a limited retarding effect thereon while permitting an upward movement along said side walls without substantial peeling or cutting action, the innermost portion of said retarding neans being devoid of a sharp or cutting e ge.

9. In a vegetable peeling machine, a vegetable container having nonabrasive side walls, a. rotary peeling member mountedsignature. I

HERBERT L. JOHNSTON.

7. In a vegetable-peeling machine of the class described, a substantially cylindrical metal casing, a door in'said casing through which the vegetablesmay be removed, a base member on which said casing is fixed, an upwardly spiraling inwardly projecting guide surface carried by said casing for mixing the vegetables together, a rotatable table spaced above the base member and provided with an abrasive top surface, said table having an upward wave projection at one side thereof extending above the center portion of the table, a downwardly extending driven shaft attached to the lower side of the table and sis 

